Nathaniel Herz – Page 19

Through the Fog, Bjoergen Emerges With Second Gold in Oslo

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 26, 2011

The fog in Oslo was so thick that the fans at Holmenkollen could barely see any of the women’s 15 k pursuit. The video board across from the stands was completely obscured, and even when athletes skied through the stadium, the only forms that could be made out were outlines—the spindly one of Justyna Kowalczyk (POL), say, or the stocky one of Finland’s Aino-Kaisa Saarinen. But with the homestretch lying directly alongside the bleachers, the...

General News Racing World Cup

For Estonia, Kummel’s Result a Boost, But Not Enough

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 25, 2011

Estonia needed a lift. Just prior to the start of the 2011 World Ski Championships, Andrus Veerpalu, one of the country’s most decorated athletes, had announced his retirement. He was hampered by illness and a knee injury, and unwilling to make the trip to Oslo if he couldn’t contend for gold. Estonia’s national team coach, Mati Alaver—a near-mythic figure in the country—may be leaving to work for Russia at the end of the season. And...

Canadian National Ski Team Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Harvey, Newell Advance to Men’s Semis in Oslo, But No Farther

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 24, 2011

The U.S.’s Kikkan Randall wasn’t the only North American to see her World Championships skate sprint hopes go down the drain in a collision. Canada’s Alex Harvey met with the same fate in his semifinal heat on Thursday when he tangled with a Swiss skier, Martin Jaeger, to fall out of contention. On the back side of the Oslo sprint course, before the men re-entered the stadium, Harvey said he was skiing at the head...

General News Racing World Cup

Bjoergen Takes Gold To Thrill Capacity Oslo Crowd

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 24, 20111

They arrived on foot, mostly—a three meter-wide river of fans snaking up from the nearest subway station, the cowbells around their necks clinking softly. By 12:30, with an hour still to go before the start of the freestyle sprint, the Norwegian faithful had already packed the stands at the Holmenkoll venue in Oslo—in anticipation of the first event of the 2011 World Ski Championships. Numbering 20,000, they were awaiting their country’s 100th World Championship gold,...

General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

In Oslo, Crash in Quarters Ends Randall’s Day Early

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 24, 201110

Out of a crowd of 20,000 people watching at the 2011 World Ski Championships, there can’t have been more than a few dozen who were disappointed when American Kikkan Randall crashed out of the women’s sprint. After all, the race was in Oslo, and as a big favorite, Randall was one of the only athletes expected to threaten the hometown favorite, Norwegian superwoman Marit Bjoergen. So when Randall slipped on one of Ida Ingemarsdotter’s (SWE)...

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Harvey, Hamilton, Newell, Kershaw, and…Freeman?

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 23, 20112

The North American men may not have a gold-medal favorite among their ranks for Thursday’s men’s World Championship freestyle sprint in Oslo. But if they lack a reliable podium candidate, they make up for it in their numbers: no fewer than seven U.S. and Canadian skiers have a shot at cracking the heats. In Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey, the Canadians have two men with freestyle sprints podiums already this season—Harvey’s a second place last...

Racing World Cup

Oslo 2011 Women’s Sprint Preview: Randall, Bjoergen Favorites

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 23, 20114

The crescendo of hype and excitement that has been building for the last few months in Norway will finally begin to crest on Thursday, as the 2011 World Ski Championships kick off in Oslo with a freestyle sprint. With the race comes North America’s best chance for a medal. Canadians Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey and the U.S.’s Andy Newell have all collected podiums in the discipline, and have legitimate medal hopes. But their female...

News Racing World Cup

In Skiing’s Fenway Park, 2011 World Champs Start Wednesday

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 22, 20119

Kikkan Randall came up with a great metaphor when she first described the Oslo World Ski Championships as the Super Bowl of skiing. The thing is, though, it’s a big understatement. To truly understand what these cross-country ski races mean to the Norwegian people, you can start with the Super Bowl. But instead of the contenders consisting of two teams with small, regional followings, imagine that the home squad represents the entire country—featuring athletes that...

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing World Cup

Valjas Takes Another Step in Drammen Sprint

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 21, 2011

If the directors at the International Ski Federation had gone to Canadian Len Valjas and asked him to lay out a 1.6-kilometer course, it would have looked a lot like the one used for the World Cup skate sprint in Drammen on Sunday. Mostly flat, with a ton of V2, the 6’6” Valjas described it as “the best course for me.” “I don’t have to offset,” he said, referring to the technique Americans call V1....

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Harvey Surprises With Second in Drammen; Joensson Wins Final Tune-Up

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 20, 2011

For Canada’s Alex Harvey, the bad news is that at next week’s World Ski Championships in Oslo, he’s not likely to improve much on his finish in his final tune-up race. The good news is why: in Sunday’s World Cup skate sprint in Drammen, Norway, he was a stunning second place, surging on the homestretch to top Olympic medalists Petter Northug (NOR) and Marcus Hellner (SWE), and falling just a few feet short of catching...

Racing World Cup

N. Americans Put 6 in Drammen Heats on Flat, Fast Course

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 20, 2011

Just because it’s flat doesn’t mean it’s any easier. A relatively tame, fast course in Drammen, Norway, was still more than enough to separate the wheat from the chaff in Sunday’s chilly World Cup qualifier—the last race before the start of the 2011 World Ski Championships in Oslo. “Here, there’s not much for offset (V1), but you still have to hammer it out,” said Canadian Stefan Kuhn, who finished in 32nd—less than a tenth of...

General News Racing World Cup

With One Week ‘Til Oslo, Bjoergen Notches One More Win

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 19, 20113

The fans came out in force, with flags, lawn chairs, and beer. And they wouldn’t have settled for anything less than a win. Norway’s Marit Bjoergen gave them what they came for, skiing to yet another victory in Saturday’s 10 k classic in Drammen—her ninth in 12 World Cup races this season—in front of a home crowd estimated at 15,000. With five days to go before her first race at the 2011 World Championships in...

Canadian National Ski Team Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Americans Struggle in Drammen; Bjornsen a Bright Spot

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 19, 2011

At least there’s another week until Oslo. That was the take-away for the Americans after Saturday’s 10 k classic race in Drammen, where the top U.S. women struggled on a tough course, in a stacked field of Norwegians. In her World Cup debut, Sadie Bjornsen (USA) led the way in 52nd, 3:19 behind the winner, Marit Bjoergen (NOR). But none of the other American women came within three-and-a-half minutes of Bjoergen’s time, leaving them with...

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Drammen World Cup, Gateway to Oslo, Starts Saturday

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 18, 2011

A World Cup race in Norway is always a big deal, but with the start of World Championships less than seven days away, this weekend’s two-race stop in Drammen serves as both a tune-up, and an indicator of who will be contending for medals in Oslo. FasterSkier arrived in Oslo on Friday morning, and will be reporting live from the event! With many skiers skipping the Rybinsk World Cups two weeks ago, it has been...

Biathlon General News Racing Tech World Cup

19 Miles of Cable and One Espresso Machine: Biathlon, from Trail to TV

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 14, 20118

If you want to know about how biathlon travels from the trails onto television, the first thing you need to know about is cable. In Fort Kent, the site of Maine’s second biathlon World Cup in as many weeks, the stuff is everywhere. It’s mostly black, but also orange, blue, white, red, green, and yellow. It snakes along the sides of the trails, hangs neatly coiled from racks, and explodes into massive, spaghetti-like snarls when...

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

With Strong Shooting, Neuner Takes Fort Kent Mass Start; Studebaker 23rd

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 13, 2011

Magdalena Neuner is among the fastest skiers on the biathlon circuit—but that’s never been her problem. In the past, it has been her shooting that held her back. So when Neuner puts together a good performance on the range, she’s tough to beat. She did just that in Sunday’s 12.5 k mass start in Fort Kent, hitting 19 of 20 targets to capture a dominating 24-second win over her teammate Andrea Henkel. Belarus’s Darya Domracheva...

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

With a Little Luck, Bailey Career Best Ninth in Fort K. Mass Start; Fourcade Wins

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 13, 2011

Lowell Bailey (USA) was so sure that he wouldn’t be racing in Sunday’s mass start in Fort Kent that he told his family to go home. His sister still stuck around. But when Bailey did luck into a start, skiing and shooting his way to a career-best ninth place, his mother wasn’t around to see it—she was driving back to New York. “I owe my mom a little bit of an apology, I guess,” he...

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In Northern Maine, Pippen Takes a Shot at Biathlon

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 12, 2011

They were probably the biggest pair of hands ever to grasp a biathlon rifle. They belonged to Scottie Pippen, the 6’8” basketball Hall of Famer. And they made the gun look more like a pistol, as a dozen reporters and dignitaries looked on. After watching a pair of World Cup biathlon races on Saturday morning, Pippen had ambled out to point number 27 on the shooting range in Fort Kent, ME. There, he was handed...

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

Henkel Doubles Up in Fort Kent; Studebaker Makes Mass Start

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 12, 2011

Germany’s Andrea Henkel skied to her second straight World Cup win on Saturday in Fort Kent, besting her teammate Magdalena Neuner by 25 seconds in the 10 k pursuit. Neuner and Henkel came into the final shooting stage together, and Neuner, a stronger skier, looked to have the race wrapped up when she hit her first four targets. But her last round went awry, and she couldn’t overcome the 25-second deficit she accumulated in the...

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

In Pursuit, Svendsen Gives Fort Kent Faithful What They Came For

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 12, 2011

A real crowd finally showed up on Saturday in Fort Kent, for the first time in three days of World Cup racing. They got exactly what they came for in the men’s 12.5 k pursuit: an exhilarating, back-and-forth battle culminating in a finishing sprint that was decided by inches—leaving fans and athletes alike unsure of who was the victor. Five minutes after he lunged with Frenchman Martin Fourcade, Norwegian Emil Hegle Svendsen finally learned that...

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